All you Need to Know about Working at an Eikaiwa in Japan

Have you ever thought of teaching English in Japan? There are so many possibilities and also contradictory information online that it can be confusing sometimes.

I’ve been working as an English teacher in Japan for 6 years now and I thought I should use my experience and share some useful information with you.

Teaching at a so-called “eikaiwa” is one of the various options you have when working in Japan.

What is an Eikaiwa?

Eikaiwa (英会話) consists of the kanji for “English” (ei, 英) and “conversation” (kaiwa, 会話) – and that’s exactly what an eikaiwa is: an English conversation school.

The English skills of Japanese people are often quite low.
Now, you might wonder if they don’t learn English in school. Well, yes they do. However, the Japanese school system is rather old-fashioned and hasn’t changed much in many decades. The way English is taught in Japanese schools is not very effective. The majority of students can’t actually use the language. Most of them just study in order to pass tests, so the focus is on learning vocabulary and grammar rules by heart. Conversational skills aren’t considered to be that important.

As the English education at school is insufficient, a lot of people rely on additional help of either cram schools (“juku”, 塾) or eikaiwas.

Working at an Eikaiwa:

Working for an eikaiwa is one option if you consider teaching English in Japan. People often ask me what it’s like to work there. They seem confused because they read a lot of contradictory comments in forums. You’ll certainly find a few horror stories and I won’t say they’re not true, but let me tell you that not every eikaiwa is the same. In fact, there are a lot of differences.

Types of schools:

The big chain schools:

The big chains usually have a higher budget, newer material and better classrooms. They can be found mainly in big cities. They’re well-known and getting a job there is more competitive. It’s easy to replace one teacher with another. Some of these schools also focus on selling products to students, so rather than a teacher you might feel like a salesperson sometimes.

The advantage of big chains is that it’s easier to obtain information online (e.g. experience of previous teachers), there’s a greater support network and some even offer a “career ladder”.

Small individual schools:

Small conversation schools can often be found in rural areas. Some of them struggle because they can’t spend as much on advertisement and promotion compared to the big chain eikaiwas. A few schools even have to close (and you’ll lose your job) because they can’t keep up with their competitors. Compared to the big chain schools, they might or might not treasure their teachers more. They know that it won’t be easy to replace the teacher as many don’t want to live in a rural area of Japan.

There’s often less structure and less money to spend on class material, but you might have more freedom in planning and organizing your lessons. You also might have a much closer relationshipto your students than in one of the big schools.

Students:

English conversation schools are seen as an addition to the English education at regular school. Some parents want their kids to learn English as soon as possible! Others want to improve their English conversational skills for business reasons or just as a hobby.

It’s very common that you’ll have students of any age, usually raging from 2-70+ years old. While at most schools the majority will consist of kindergarten, elementary school, jr. high and high school kids, you’ll also have the occasional adults.

Class sizes may vary from 1-10 students and often they’re not all the same age. It never gets boring that way, but also can be challenging at times.

Working Hours and Vacation:

This may vary from school to school, but most commonly you’ll find something like that:

working hours: afternoon to evening (e.g. 1pm to 9pm)

40h per week (25 teaching hours) / 5 days a week

work on Sat or Sun is common (maybe no consecutive days off)

vacation / days off vary a lot

Your day at work usually starts with kindergarten and elementary school kids in the early afternoon and the later the day gets, the older the students are.

How strict those working hours are handled depends on the school. Some require you to be present all the time even when you don’t have any classes. Others will let you come just right before your classes start and let you go home as soon as you’re done.

By working for an eikaiwa you usually have less vacation than ALTs (assistant language teachers) who work for public schools and have vacation when the schools do.

While it may vary from eikaiwa to eikaiwa, 1-4 weeks vacation per year are quite common. The vacation is often in accordance with the Japanese holidays (New Years holidays, spring vacation, Golden Week, Obon summer vacation). Some schools will be closed on public holidays, others won’t.

Salary:

The average salary is 250.000 yen per month for a full-time position. I would advise you not to take a job that offers less than that!
Very few eikaiwas will offer you more for an entry position – up to 300,000 yen are possible. However, I wouldn’t expect that if you’re just starting out as an English teacher in Japan.

Some schools will pay for transportation or offer you a car. In accordance with the labor law a few schools will enroll you into the “shakai hoken“, but the majority won’t. So you’ll have to pay health insurance (kokumin hoken) and pension (kokumin nenkin) yourself. It’s illegal, but it’s a standard practice.

A few schools will pay for your accommodation (or at least subsidise it), others will at least offer assistance in finding an apartment. Some will offer you paid sick leave, but many won’t.

If you’re single and don’t live in one of the most expensive parts of Tokyo, the average salary is enough to make a living – and even save some money (or pay back student loans). Taxes in Japan are extremely low (especially compared to Germany …).

Duties:

Apart from teaching, lesson planning, creating teaching material or attending school events (e.g. speech contests), you might also have to work outside of the school. Some eikaiwas have contracts with nearby companies or kindergartens. Teachers might be sent there outside of the regular working hours.
Especially in smaller schools you might have to help with advertising, recruiting, cleaning or creating material for seasonal events.

What and how you’ll teach, depends a lot on the teaching philosophy and program of each school.

For kindergarten kids you’ll mainly just play with them, using English (songs, jumping around, teaching basic things like colors, numbers and the alphabet). With older students you’ll work with textbooks and whatever material the eikaiwa offers. Test preparation is necessary and very common. The most important English tests in Japan are: Eiken (英検), TOEIC, TOEFL and the National Center Test for University Admissions.

Adults often just want to have (random) English conversations with you.

Basic requirements:

Most eikaiwa schools want you to be a native speaker of English and have at least a BA / BS degree in any field! However, those are mainly the requirements to obtain a work visa.

In fact, if the work visa is not an issue, it’ll be enough if you have a good pronunciation and a relatively good command of the English language. As long as you won’t teach university students or business English, you don’t have to be a native speaker. I’m not – and yet I teach English. I know my English isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough for this kind of job. With younger students it’s more important that you have a clear and correct pronunciation and that you can create lessons that are fun.

For a few conversation schools it’s important that you have some sort of ESL certificate or qualification. While you’ll find a job without having one, it can certainly help to outdo competitors.

Some schools also require you to have a driver’s license that is valid in Japan.

Working at an Eikaiwa – Pros and Cons:

Here are a few positive and negative aspects I see with working for an eikaiwa school in Japan. They might be subjective as they’re based on my opinion, but I think it’ll point out a few important things you should know and think about before taking a job at such a school:

Working Hours (+/–):

The working hours at an English conversation school can be something good or bad, depending on your lifestyle. Starting in the afternoon means that you can sleep in. You have your mornings to exercise, study Japanese, go grocery shopping or just sleep some more.

On the other hand you have to work until 9 or 10pm. Joining any club activities, a gym or just hanging out with friends who have “normal” working schedules might be difficult. If you live in a rural area, getting anywhere past 10pm might be impossible. Also, it’s very likely that you’ll have to work on a Saturday and instead get a random day off during the week.

Students’ motivation (+):

The parents pay for the students to come and study. Some students come because they want to. Of course not all of them will be motivated, but it will be very different from teaching in a public school where you’ll find a lot of unmotivated students.

Small class sizes (+):

As mentioned earlier your class sizes will be ranging from roughly 1-10 students per class. Small class sizes allow a closer relationship to the students. Smaller classes are also easier to manage and you can focus more on each individual student and their progress.

Compared to 30+ students per class in a regular school, I think that’s a much better deal.

Work Load (–):

Although this depends a lot on the school, it’s safe to say that you’ll probably be busier at an eikaiwa than you would be as an ALT (assistant language teacher) in a regular Japanese school. You might have to do 5 or more 60-min. lessons in a row. It can be extremely tiresome.

You might be sent out to an external school, a kindergarten or a company in addition to the regular working hours.

However, there are also schools where you don’t have so many classes and your work load is relatively low.

Not a teacher but an entertainer (–):

Especially when working with younger students you have to jump around, dance, sing or just simply make a dork out of yourself. That has not much to do with teaching and it’s certainly not something everybody can or would like to do.

You might have extremely quiet and shy teenagers. Then, you need to come up with some good ideas to wake them up and make them talk. You need to be entertaining and surprise them. Just standing in front of the blackboard and preaching some grammar rules won’t do anything.

My personal experience:

When I first decided to come to Japan I didn’t think I would end up being an English teacher. Although my major in university was in a related field, I thought I would not be able to teach little kids. It really scared the hell out of me. But I wanted to go to Japan so badly and the lack of time just didn’t allow me to look for other jobs. I had nothing to lose. I brought my own work visa (Working Holiday Visa) and thought if I don’t like the job, I could just leave and try something else.

To my surprise I came to love this kind of job immediately. Japanese kids were surely different from the ones in Germany. It was so much fun teaching them. Even now, 6 years later, I still enjoy it a lot. It’s not something I want to do for the rest of my life, but as I like it so much, I never considered trying something else.

I have to admit I wouldn’t be fond of it, if I were to teach only one age group. Having this huge variety of students and ages every single day makes it exciting. It never gets boring.

My classes consist of 1-9 students. Over the years you really get close to them, you see how they grow up and improve their skills. You’ll be proud if one of your students wins a contest or passes a test. That’s the great thing about being a teacher. It can be really rewarding.

Side Note: About frustrated teachers:

I won’t deny the fact that there are problems at any school. A lot of people have difficulties in adjusting to Japanese work ethics. Others just have no idea about teaching as they come from a completely different field. On top of that they don’t care about teaching at all and only do the job in order to make some money and stay in Japan.

Those are often the people who get frustrated easily and start fighting with their managers. That’s where a lot of the negative comments come from that you’ll find in various Japan forums. Some of them are justified without a doubt, because there are some really bad schools out there.

In my 6 years I’ve seen many teachers come and go. Some couldn’t deal with living in the Japanese countryside, others couldn’t adjust to Japan in general. For some teachers my previous school was the best thing ever, for others it was hell. And I’m sure that’s true for any other eikaiwa out there as well!

That’s why it’s hard to tell whether a school is for you or not. You won’t know until you try, but you can prepare by getting as much information as possible about your future employer, the location and the students. Make sure to get in touch with current and former teachers and don’t just listen to some random comments in forums.

Read about other people’s experience:

There’s so much more to say about this topic. You should also read about other people’s experience with teaching at eikaiwa schools in Japan.

I’m so touched that you wrote this article. Excellent advice. I’m pretty sure everyone has different experiences in Eikaiwa, so it is really difficult to write something overarching that is applicable to people who work or are interested in working at different Eikaiwa.
I just received a job offer at a big Eikaiwa, so hopefully I will be able to provide more input later.
Keep up the good work!

Most eikaiwa schools have students as young as 2 or 3 years old. However, there are a few exceptions like schools who mainly focus on adults.
The majority of schools will have kindergarten kids, though.

All I can say is that it’s not as bad as it sounds. I also thought that I won’t be able to teach little kids and hated the idea. I tried and really liked it.
The good thing is that you usually have only one or maybe two short classes (40-60 mins.) a day. The rest of the time you’ll usually teach older kids or adults.
Most likely you won’t teach kindergarten kids every single day.
For example, I only teach 3 classes with such young students per week at the moment.

I only once worked at an Eikaiwa for a few weeks, and only for two or three lessons a week, but it was a privately owned place, and I didn’t like it one bit. :( It was extremely organised and the owner only accepted one style of doing things – his style. He once criticised me for holding the flash cards in the “wrong” way… :notamused:
Now I work at an international kindergarten, part-time for 25hr/week, and I like it a lot better. I see the same kids every day, and I don’t have to do full-on lessons everyday. It’s more relaxed, and fits my idea of how languages should be learnt better. If I were to work full-time I would have to do classic Eikaiwa in the afternoon, but luckily I’m off before that. I also prefer my work hours to Eikaiwa, it’s usually 9.30 to 14.30 (plus 2 hours on the train), so I have time in the afternoon to meet friends or do whatever. However, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get a work visa because of the short hours, luckily I’m married :bah:
The pay is a bit less than if I were to work at an Eikaiwa school, but I don’t have to just teach teach teach all day long. I get to change diapers as well… :hum: There are people who are great at working Eikaiwa but not so great at teaching life skills, disciplining kids and don’t want to clean children, and I’m sure they’d hate my job, but for me it’s a good fit.

That’s the big problem with small eikaiwas in general. It stands and falls with the people who own the school and also with the few co-workers you have. It can be the best or worst place ever. It’s sometimes just hard to find out before you take the job.

In my old school we had a few “stupid rules” as well, but to be honest I didn’t mind them at all. I liked the structure and how organized everything was.
My current school is more chaotic and less strict, but you know that I loved my old place a lot more.

You are right about it. Your current job is certainly not something everybody would want to do. As you know I work once a week at a kindergarten for 1h. The kids there are cute, but I’m really exhausted after my lesson. I’m sure I couldn’t do it full-time (almost) all day long! :(

Thank you for the lovely and informative post. Apart from being a degree holder, am awaiting my TEFL certification (due in December, 2013). Am a novice with no teaching experience, and was wondering if you could help me with some leads for vacant job positions to teach English in Japan. Thanks.

Quick question, how much Japanese do you need to master before you can teach in Japan? I have none except some very basic greetings and reading skills. Are there specific requirements (in speaking, reading, writing Japanese) to be met before you are qualified to teach?

For most English teaching positions you don’t need any Japanese skills. Some schools even forbid you to speak Japanese with your students.
Other schools mention that basic Japanese skills are preferred.

However, for a life in Japan it’s obviously better if you can speak / read / understand Japanese. ;P

First, let me thank you for this beautiful post. I always believed that teaching is an art (therefore, there are talented and less talented people doing it, hence the good and bad experiences). I can say that I have a similar situation as you (not being a native English) but I’m different by not having any teaching experience or degrees in the field (English or teaching). I have good to very good speaking abilities, very good vocabulary (often better than my japanese English teacher wife’s one) and a bit of charisma (I was a salesman). My question is: do you think I should/can get a job like one you’ve described above? Because, as you were, I’m olso a bit scared. Thank you again for your thoughts, you’ve done a lot of people a great favor

Rather than about getting a job you should worry about getting a proper work visa.
The reason why companies / schools want you to be a native speaker of English is because that way it’s easier to obtain a work visa for being an English teacher in Japan.

If you can get the “working holiday visa”, then that’s a great opportunity.
If not, it might be more difficult. I’m sure you could find a job, but it won’t help if the immigration office won’t give you a work visa.

Hi, I am 19 years old and would love to look around Japan for two months between April and June. One thought I had was to try and find somewhere I could teach English as a way to immerse myself in the culture, and I do not even mind if I do not get paid! I have applied to some of the big chains but obviously I doubt I will have much success since I have no degree and only want to stay for 8 weeks or so. I am, however, native English and have studied English to quite a high level. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should be looking for? I was perhaps thinking of finding a rural school that would have me, but I am finding it difficult to find some at all. Any help would be great.

8 weeks is very short indeed. There are some positions for 3 months sometimes. Would that bee too long?
Does it have to be a teaching job? If you want to immerse yourself in the culture and you don’t need the money, why don’t you try something else?
You can join a community, take lessons (e.g. ikebana, calligraphy, but even if you just travel around and are open-minded, you’ll get to know many people! :D

P.S.: You also won’t get a work visa for only 8 weeks – and working without a work visa is VERY dangerous. If the immigration office finds out, you might be banned from Japan!!

Thank you for getting back to me! That is really useful information – so actually I would not be able to teach English at all (I would definitely not try and skip around Japanese immigration!!)? Simply backpacking around by myself was indeed the other option with a possible route being starting in Tokyo and working my way down south via Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc. Would language pose a significant problem? What advice would you give on backpacking around Japan in terms of cities/must dos etc?

Fantastic article and one of the best online about teaching English in Japan. If the blog owner doesn’t mind the promotion, here is an article on GaijinPot detailing the living expenses for someone earning a basic English teachers salary.

As a long term resident of Japan, someone who went through the Eikaiwa school system, then went on to study a master of applied linguistics with a major in TESOL, I can tell you both ALTs and Eikaiwas are not perfect systems. An Eikaiwa is suited to those who can feel comfortable being more a marketing asset than an educator. Your job will be to sell textbooks, keep students coming back, and providing a fun environment. One of the major flaws to this idea is that sometimes education is not fun, it is seriously hard work and requires alot of thinking. If one student leaves because they do not like you, do not expect your job a week later. I have heard numerous times the foreigner manager has said this is not the case, then the more senior Japanese manager overrules them. As for the ALT positions, more and more local boards of education are moving to using dispatch companies to hire staff. Most staff do not have any qualifications in language education, and are more or less employed due to having English as their native language. While this does on the other end give students a chance to listen to a native English speaker speak, it is really a false model for the students to emulate as they should be aiming for a functional communicative level of second language performance. What would be best for them is for anyone who has completed tertiary studies in English and has been able to reach an excellent level of the language. Make sure your studies are in ESL. Do not come here with any old degree, as this is the problem with the Japanese system now. Too many people are coming here as economic refugees, working for a low wage, which then freezes out those more suitable for the job. I am not in this boat I guess. I work two days a week for what an average ALT will earn for a full time load. I have though tried to work one day a week as an ALT as I am keen on thinking how to approach the learning experience for students. The problem is most dispatch companies can hire people for much less who do not have the academic and professional requirements for the job. That being said, I would recommend thinking about the Middle East. Right now if you are a qualified teacher, there is a massive support network, well structured salary, and a professional approach that may tempt you. Best of luck in your choices, David Robertson http://www.onegengo.com

That’s not entirely true and I will write about that in a future entry in more detail.
It really depends where you work. The small family-run eikaiwa are completely different from the big ones where marketing and sales play a big role.

I have no personal experience with the ALT field, but I agree that just being a native speaker of English doesn’t qualify you as a teacher. It shouldn’t!
The Japanese education system (not only when it comes to English) has so many faults, but as always, Japan is very slow to change.

Thanks for such an informative article, it’s really thorough and helpful. I’m wondering if you can recommend which companies (if you know) arrange a work visa as well? I don’t qualify for a working holiday visa, and I know some of these schools do sponsorship, wondering which ones might be better to approach.

P.S I used to be in sales and also run a dancing school, so it sounds like I’ll manage ;)

Most of the jobs you’ll find on the sites I linked to will sponsor a work visa. It is usually stated in the job ad.
As long as it’s a full-time job they usually sponsor your work visa. You won’t get a proper work visa for a part-time job, though.

Thank you for this post, I am a teacher in Australia (teaching science not English) but part of that is obviously still talking to students and teaching them literacy etc. I have been thinking about visiting Japan and working at a Conversation school but I am not sure if the big schools with their business focus are the way to go.

The biggest concern I have is with the Conversation Schools I won’t be able to experience ‘life’ in Japan, many of the reviews have written about overtime and losing the opportunity to experience Japan. What have you found with overtime etc?

It really depends on the school. At the schools I’ve worked at thus far, I never really had to do overtime work. And personally, I was able to experience a lot of the “life in Japan”.
The only difference is that you get to experience everyday school life if you were to be an ALT teacher.

About Zooming Japan

This Japan blog is run by Jasmine T. Blossom - a German who's lived in Japan for over 7 years.

She has travelled to all 47 Japanese prefectures and over 100 Japanese castles, experienced natural disasters, cultural oddities and work life in Japan. She loves exploring things off the beaten path, so you'll find a lot of great travel inspiration here.

In this blog Jasmine offers a close-up view of all the good and bad that comes with living and traveling in Japan. Hire her as a Japan expert.